Farming in this country is an advanced technology and most farms are of large size in order to efficiently and economically utilize the more advanced scientific principles and farm machinery presently available. The farm machinery, and particularly tractors, utilized on modern farms in this country are expensive and complex since such tractors must be able to perform in accordance with the modern scientific farming principles now in common usage. Further, the tractors must be able to perform large quantities of work due to the large size of present day farms.
While most tractors produced in this country are highly desirable when used on large farms, and where sufficient skilled personnel is available to perform the necessary repair and maintenance thereon, it has been found that such large and complex tractors are not suitable for use on relatively small farms since such tractors are not only unacceptably expensive, but they are also mechanically and structurally complex so that maintenance and repair is made unduly difficult, if not impossible.
In particular, there presently exists a need in foreign countries, such as in Central and South America, Africa and Southeast Asia, for a tractor which is relatively inexpensive and which is mechanically and structurally simple to repair and operate. These countries still have large numbers of small farms which are run by one or two persons. Further, the small farms in these countries do not utilize the modern mass farming techniques utilized in this country and thus the highly automated and complex machinery suitable for farming in this country is not suitable for farming in these foreign countries.
Further, the tenants or owners of the small farms in these less advanced farming countries do not possess the technical skill, tools or equipment necessary to permit assembling, maintenance or repair of the complex tractors or farm machinery utilized in this country. Further, necessary repair parts are often not easily obtainable in these foreign countries and thus the complex tractors presently utilized in this country have proven undesirable for use in these foreign countries since the inability to obtain replacement parts for purposes of repair generally results in the tractor being shut down for extended periods of time, thereby completely destroying the usefulness of the tractor and imposing a severe handicap on the farmer.
In my earlier U.S. Pat. No. 3,661,223 I have disclosed and claimed a tractor construction directed toward meeting these problems and the construction therein set forth does in fact go a long way toward accomplishing these ends. However, in a continuing effort to provide a tractor of the maximum simplicity for construction, assembly and maintenance, I have attempted to carry still further the concepts of simplicity, replacement of parts, shipment in knock-down condition and assembly by unskilled personnel using only simple tools.
Accordingly, the objects of the invention include:
1. To provide a farm-type tractor having a simplified frame structure which facilitates assembly, maintenance and repair of the tractor.
2. To provide a tractor, as aforesaid, wherein each major component of the tractor, namely forward wheel assembly, engine, control assembly and rear axle and seat supporting assembly, are each made in a unitary manner and each detachably connectible to the frame in a simple manner to facilitate assembly, maintenance, repair and replacement of parts.
3. To provide a tractor, as aforesaid, which can be easily assembled, maintained and repaired by technically unskilled persons.
4. To provide a tractor, as aforesaid, which can be easily shipped in a disassembled form for export purposes, with the tractor being easily assembled by unskilled personnel without requiring any elaborate tools or machinery.
5. To provide a tractor, as aforesaid, which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and maintain, and is dependable and simple in operation.
6. To provide a tractor, as aforesaid, wherein many of the elements of the frame and supporting members for the axles are constructed from simple structural members, thereby facilitating not only assembly and repair, but also permitting easy replacement of parts.
Other objects and purposes of this invention will be apparent to persons acquainted with devices of this type upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.